the girl with glasses who carries her own books

In earlier posts about the geek and the girl - one of my correspondents suggested that the geek might be much better of with the brainy girl in glasses. She followed up that email with another containing this beautiful piece of writing. Reproduced here with her permission:

I am a great campaigner for the girl with the glasses who carried her own books.

She was a favourite of the boys not because of her looks but because she talked about music and guitars and sport. She felt comfortable in their company and intimidated them a little with her mind. While the other girls crammed their school bags with make up and trashy magazines, she had copies of the NME hiding the Marquis de Sade’s ‘Justine’ in her school locker ...

While the other girls wore their Duran Duran t shirts, she spent her time trying to look like Bettie Page.

She shared a science bench with a boy she hardly knew. During long, dull chemistry classes they talked music and his penchant for all things dark. He was wildly intelligent and intelligently quiet. They spent many hours loafing around in each others bedrooms listening to music and reading books in complete innocence. She read Justine and he, Venus in Furs … in the interest of fairness! They went to gigs in dark rooms in every corner of the city. It was after one such evening, in a cab, when he told her to slide her skirt up … he wanted to see where her stockings met her thighs. After only a little hesitation she did as she was told …

She was 18, a virgin and in possession of a sexuality that frightened her.

To this day, she still carries her own books …

Thank you T.